Solarize Wellfleet

The original Solarize Wellfleet program has ended. Congratulations to all the Wellfleet homeowners and small business that are now, or soon to be enjoying the benefits of their solar panels. For people who missed the program, it still makes financial and environmental sense to go solar, especially with the 35% increase in electric rates anticipated in 2015.

The Solarize Wellfleet program more than met the challenge. Over 655 kilowatts of capacity has been installed which is more than three times our target for tier 5.

From the chart on the left, you can see that the number of systems installed in Wellfleet tripled during the program, and that the rate of growth of Solar installations continued at an accelerated rate even after the program ended.

Most of the benefits of installing solar PV on your home or small business are the same as they were during the program, so if you missed the deadline, we still urge you to consider installing solar panels. You can contact one of the installers directly. The Mapdwell program is still available, to view your home’s potential for solar.

The chart below reflects the results of Round 2 of the 2013 Solarize Mass program, which included the communities of Adams, Amherst, Andover, Great Barrington-Egremont, Lexington-Bedford, Needham, Salem-Swampscott, Watertown, Wellfleet, and Williamsburg-Whately-Chesterfield, which concluded on June 30.

Community

Installer

Tier

Contracts Signed

Capacity (in kilowatts)

Adams

RGS Energy

4

18

100

Amherst

Northeast Solar Design Associates

5

174

1,195

Andover

Astrum Solar

5

78

654

Great Barrington/Egremont

RGS Energy

5

84

546

Lexington/Bedford

Astrum Solar

5

162

1,136

Needham

Astrum Solar

5

99

729

Salem/Swampscott

RGS Energy

5

71

401

Watertown

Next Step Living

4

28

136

Wellfleet

Cotuit Solar / E2 Solar / Blue Selenium

5

133

656

Williamsburg / Whately / Chesterfield

RGS Energy

5

85

589

Total

932

6,142

One of Solarize Wellfleet’s early Installations

More than 475 households and businesses from Wellfleet have expressed interest (and another dozen from neighboring towns). We have picked our installer team in a competitive bidding process and their proposal has been reviewed by technical experts from the Mass Clean Energy Center. Solarize Wellfleet (SM) will be served by a team of three companies: Cotuit Solar (lead), E2 Solar and Blue Selenium Solar.>

Solarize Wellfleet (SM) offers a competitive tiered pricing structure that increases the savings for everyone as more home and business owners sign contracts. Home and business owners who want to participate can either purchase the installation or have a power purchase agreement with no money down.

We have commissioned the Mapdwell company to provide an interactive “Solar Map” of Wellfleet that allows home and business owners to estimate the rooftop solar electric potential (PV panels) for any building in Wellfleet. Users can consider various system sizes and configurations and estimate the potential of each system. If you want to try the software on your own home click here. Wellfleet is one of only three places in the country where this capability is available. The other two are Cambridge Mass and Washington DC.

A home energy assessment is a prerequisite to having a solar installation approved for rebates. However, it is also worth doing even if you decide not to proceed with a solar array. Schedule one now.

Once you indicate your interest the installer will:

Evaluate your site for solar usually including an on-site inspection,

Generate a detailed proposal.

If you decide to proceed the installer will:

Apply for all grant applications, and utility interconnections,

File all required permits and obtain inspections,

Install your solar system!

Install any optional monitoring systems.

Volunteer Orientation Sign-in. Photo: Esther Elkin

Home or business owners may purchase electricity systems directly or enter into a lease agreement with the installer. Under a lease the installer will own, operate and maintain the system, while the home or business owner agrees to purchase the power generated by the system at an agreed-upon rate that is significantly lower than commercial rates.

The designated installer will provide site assessments and system designs for individual solar PV projects. The site assessment will evaluate a site’s suitability for solar PV, including shading, on site load, and any electrical, structural, or mechanical issues that may increase the cost of the solar PV project relative to the proposed cost. The system design should maximize system production while minimizing project cost.

Local Contact

Outreach efforts in Wellfleet will be led by Solar Coach Richard Elkin, who can answer questions and assist home and business owners looking for more information on the program.

The committee is soliciting support from Wellfleet civic organizations to help spread the word about this program.

Looks like you are all doing great things, I am truly interested in solar. It would be great to see it all work. My interest goes back to my Dad who was working on solar for the company of Arthur D. Little and had solar panels on his roof in Newton in the 1950’s. Unfortunately I am not in Wellfleet at the moment as my house is not heated. What would you see as the next step I should take? Gini Russell (The Mapdwell software is a plus!)